Bear Creek, Weston Ranch capture titles

Sunday

Oct 7, 2012 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Fourteen cross country teams competed at the inaugural Cesar Chavez Invitational on Saturday at Legion Park, with Bear Creek capturing first place in the boys division and the Weston Ranch girls claiming their first meet of the season.

Kevin Niendorf

STOCKTON - Fourteen cross country teams competed at the inaugural Cesar Chavez Invitational on Saturday at Legion Park, with Bear Creek capturing first place in the boys division and the Weston Ranch girls claiming their first meet of the season.

The event also functioned as the Stockton Unified championship meet, with Stagg winning the boys title for the fifth consecutive year over SUSD's three other schools - Franklin, Chavez and Edision. Chavez repeated as the girls champion.

"This is a nice-sized race with a lot of good competition," Chavez coach and meet director Dan Horan said. "It's always fun to race against the other schools in the city, and I enjoy watching these kids succeed."

Edision's Cicelya Wilson continued her dominance in the girls competition, leading the field of 29 competitors in the three-mile race with a time of 19 minutes, 46 seconds. The senior finished third at the Pacific Invitational a week earlier, posting the best time among city runners at Elkhorn Golf Club at 19:08.

"I like this course because it's better to have hills," Wilson said. "I try to get stronger with every race, and I have people who push me to improve."

Four Weston Ranch juniors followed Wilson across the finish line in the top 10, pushing the Cougars to the overall team win. Fattima Momini, Angel Flores, Courtney Fritchen and Zehra Momini were confident about their chances before the race.

"The goal today was to win the trophy; they said that at the starting line," Weston Ranch coach Joy Alvarez said. "Yes, they totally surprised me. Their confidence is boosted and we're going home happy."

Weston Ranch's Brendon Curtright, also a junior, won top honors in the boys race with a time of 17:32. It was his second invitational win in two weeks after claiming the Kimball Invitational last month.

Curtright said his personal-best time was the result of a strong field of 41 other runners behind him.

"I mentally feel like they're right behind me the whole time," Curtright said. "I feel confident I can do better."

Bear Creek coach Jason Johnson said Saturday's team victory for the boys, the first of the season, is the result of training sessions ranging from the beaches at the ocean to the hills outside Reno.

"They're pouring themselves into the sport and being an example to others," Johnson said.

Stagg coach Aurthur Jones said the SUSD boys title means a lot since the city's rivals get another chance to compete against each other.

"It's a great feeling. I'm glad the kids are still motivated," Jones said. "They enjoy this because it gives them a sense of pride and it gives them a little bit more of a push."